The Right Choice
by Caz Malfoy
Summary: Crossover with Miami. Seeing Louie again after so long did nothing but bring back memories about Tanglewood that Danny wished he never had.


_Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:Miami or NY._

The Right Choice

Danny Messer watched as the cab door closed behind Louie and the cab took off down the street.

Two years had passed since the last time Danny had heard from his older brother. Two years with nothing but silence over the airwaves and then, in the middle of the night, he had gotten a phone call from Louie.

Danny hadn't been the one that answered the phone. He had been working late at the lab and Louie had called Danny's apartment. Danny's partner, Tim Speedle, had answered the call instead.

Danny had found when he got home around two in the morning. At the time Danny had been too tired to do anything other than fall into bed in exhaustion. He didn't even hear his pager beeping a few hours later. Danny would have slept straight through the case if Tim were a heavier sleeper, he had heard the pager and then proceed to wake his tired lover.

As the cab departed, Danny turned and began the slow walk back to his apartment. As he walked his mind began replaying the conversation he had just had with Louie. Danny had been expecting Louie to be in some kind of trouble. It would take something big and probably bad to get Louie to contact his screw-up younger brother. When he had voiced this thought to Stella she had told him that it shouldn't make a difference what Louie wanted, he was Danny's older brother and nothing should stop the younger Messer from helping him.

Louie looked pretty much the same as he had done the last time they saw each other. Their conversation had pretty much stayed on relatively safe topics, like the Yankees but then Louie had asked who had answered Danny's phone and Danny knew that there was no way he could avoid telling Louie the truth.

So Danny had told him. He had told Louie that Danny had been seeing Tim for the better part of ten years. Danny had expected Louie to look disgusted and possibly even leave Danny alone in the bar, but he had merely asked when Danny had been planning on telling people. Danny had replied that he _never _planned on telling anyone in the family because growing up his father had made it very clear what he thought about men who liked other men. And it was not something he ever wanted to hear Louie Messer Senior about him.

Tim was lying on his stomach across the rug in front of the fire when Danny pushed the door open. A book was open in front of him and Tim's eyes were firmly glued to its pages.

"Hey," Tim greeted, not looking up as he continued to read.

Danny rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face as he pulled his jacket off and threw it on the chair.

"You okay?" Tim asked in concern, tearing his gaze away from the book – with difficulty it seemed.

Danny shrugged his shoulders and slid to the floor next to Tim. "Yeah," he whispered. "I think I'm just exhausted. It's been a long day," he laughed humorlessly.

Tim turned onto his side. "I meant after seeing Louie," he said, resting his head on his arm.

Danny sighed and lowered his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "It just bought back some memories about Tanglewood that I wish I didn't have."

Tim rested a hand on Danny's leg. "I know," he said quietly. "Everyone makes mistakes."

"Yeah but if the truth about _my _mistakes gets out I'll be in more trouble than I want to think about," Danny stated, glaring at nothing in particular. "Sonny's already said something about me to Mac."

"Mac isn't going to believe what some criminal says to him."

Danny snorted with laughter. "You say that like I'm _not _a criminal."

"You're not," Tim insisted. He got to his feet and pulled Danny up with him. Danny sighed and allowed Tim to drag him into the bedroom.

When Tim went to pull Danny's shirt off, the blue eyed CSI covered Tim's hands with his. "Tim," he whispered. "I'm not…"

Tim rolled his eyes and pulled Danny's shirt and undershirt off. "Would you get your mind out of the gutter for five minutes?" he scoffed. Tim turned Danny around so that he could look at his reflection in the glass. "You see these?" Tim asked rhetorically, running his hand gently over everyone of the half a dozen scars on Danny stomach and abdomen. "Everyone of these scars shows how much you went through growing up. This," Tim pressed his lips against the tattoo on Danny's right shoulder blade, "is as much a part of you and these scars. All these scars, and tattoo, represent is what you have spent the last ten years trying to put behind you."

"But-,"

"No buts, Danny," Tim interrupted firmly. "Sure you joined Tanglewood. Sure you made a few mistakes and got into a few fights. But all of that was in the past. This," Tim ran the tip of his tongue over the 'out-date' on Danny's tattoo, "was the day that you made a choice about what you were going to become."

Danny sighed quietly, not saying anything as Tim held him close against his chest. He knew that Tim was right. Danny had spent so long trying to make up for everything he had done in the past that. Everything he did now was to prove to himself that he was not the person Sonny and his family thought he was.

Danny turned around in Tim's arms and smiled up at his slightly taller. "Thank you," he whispered, raising himself up a little.

Tim smiled and leant his head down, meeting Danny's lips with his in a soft kiss. "No problem," he murmured against Danny's lips. "You feeling any better now?" he asked.

Danny nodded his head, grabbing his undershirt as he headed back into the sitting room. "What are you going to cook?" he asked, pulling the shirt over his head as he sat down on the couch.

"What makes you think I was planning on cooking anything?" Tim smirked.

Danny rolled his eyes. "First, because this is you that we're talking about. And, second," Danny bent over and picked Tim's book up, "you were reading the cookbook," he pointed out.

Tim laughed and snatched the book of Danny. "Fine," he relented. "I admit it. You want to help?" he offered.

Danny shook his head. "I am not stupid," he replied. "You're mean when you cook. I'm not going to get into an argument again."

"I am _not _mean when I cook," Tim said indignantly.

"Yes, you are," Danny argued. "It's okay," he waved his hand, "the kitchen's your sanctuary. Go, make me something nice," he instructed.

Tim glared. "Sir, yes sir," he muttered as he headed into the kitchen.

Just as the kitchen door closed he heard Danny mumble, "That's the spirit."

The End


End file.
